Women Speak Tasmania

Category: Schools

  • A Look at Montrose Bay High School’s “Let’s Talk About Sex” Unit

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    A concerned parent recently provided Women Speak Tasmania with a copy of the Year 8 Health and Physical Education (HPE) workbook currently being used at Montrose Bay High School in Tasmania. The booklet, titled Let’s Talk About Sex, forms part of the school’s Term 2 2026 curriculum. It covers gender identity, sexuality, consent, contraception and…

  • Drag Queen Storytime and The Safeguarding Question

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    While researching lawfare in Australia, I came across the long-running legal battle involving Lyle Shelton. In 2020, Shelton publicly criticised a Drag Queen Storytime event at a Brisbane City Council library. He described the performers — Johnny Valkyrie (known as “Queeny”) and Dwayne Hill (who performs as Diamond Good-Rim in adult shows) — as “dangerous…

  • Who Decides the Books in Your Child’s Classroom? The Role of Working It Out

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    A recent Right to Information request (RTI 076–2025/26) has provided new insight into how the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) selects and recommends books for use in schools under the Supporting Sexuality, Sex and Gender Diversity in Schools, which sits within the Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum. The RTI shows…

  • Why Parents are Kept in the Dark About Tasmania School Programs

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    What we learnt from RTI Request 076–2025/26 Working It Out and Growing Up Program Parents have a right to know what their children are being taught at school—especially when lessons touch on sensitive topics such as sexuality, gender identity, and personal development. A recent Right to Information (RTI) request has raised serious questions about whether…

  • Working It Out: What is Happening in Tasmanian Schools? 

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    Recent information from multiple sources — including Working It Out Inc.’s own public statements — confirms that the organisation is actively involved in Tasmanian schools, providing “affirmation planning” for trans and gender-diverse students, assisting schools to develop “inclusive curriculum content,” and delivering professional learning to teachers on “sexuality, sex, and gender diversity.” These activities, described…

  • Parents are the First Line of Defence in Safeguarding Children

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    Parents are not bystanders in child protection — they are the first line of defence against harm. The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, endorsed by all Australian governments, make this clear: families hold the primary responsibility for their children’s safety, wellbeing, and moral development. A genuine child-safe culture requires more than policies on paper.…

  • Behind Closed Doors: Family Planning Tasmania and the Hidden Curriculum

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    This is a quick summary of the blog post titled ‘Keeping Secrets from Parents: Family Planning Tasmania is an Active Participant.’ We have also included a downloadable word document containing all the important questions parents should ask. What it’s about: The post raises serious concerns about Family Planning Tasmania (FPT) and its “Growing Up Program” (GUP) delivered…

  • Concerns About the Growing Up Program (GUP) in Tasmanian Schools – Parents Speak Up

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    Women Speak Tasmania has received a number of messages from parents across the state expressing concern about the Growing Up Program (GUP), which is delivered by Family Planning Tasmania (FPT) in public schools. Parents have raised issues relating to transparency, the language used in teaching materials, and the implicit introduction of gender identity concepts to…

  • Language, Inclusion, and Policy in Tasmanian Schools

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    A review of current frameworks and their classroom impact In recent years, the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People has introduced several policies aimed at fostering inclusion for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or queer (LGBTIQ+). Two key documents—the Supporting Sexuality, Sex and Gender Diversity in Schools Policy (2022)…

  • Who Decides What Children Are Taught? The Growing Up Program and Parental Rights in Tasmania

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    In recent months, a debate has emerged in Tasmania about what primary-school children are being taught regarding bodies, relationships, and gender. At the centre of the discussion is the state’s “Growing Up Program” (GUP), a relationships and protective-behaviours curriculum delivered in many primary schools. The issue gained wider attention after One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson…